Joanna "JoJo" Noëlle Levesque (born December 20, 1990) is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress who rose to fame in 2004 with her platinum-certified, self-titled debut album JoJo, which reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. JoJo has also begun a film career, starring in two 2006 Hollywood films: Aquamarine and RV. Her second album, The High Road, was released on October 17, 2006. In the summer of 2007, she embarked on tour in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. JoJo has sold more than five million albums worldwide.

Early life

JoJo was born Joanna Noëlle Levesque in Brattleboro, Vermont and raised in Keene, New Hampshire and Foxborough, Massachusetts. She has French, Polish, Irish and Native American ancestry. She grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in Foxborough, in a low-income family. Her father, Joel Maurice Levesque, is a blues singer, and her mother, Diana Anne Blagden, sang in a Catholic church choir and worked as a house cleaner. Her parents divorced when she was three. She has lived with her mother in Edgewater, New Jersey since her success. Her father lives in New Hampshire.

During her earlier years, JoJo would listen and learn as her mother practiced hymns. She started singing when she was two years old by imitating her mother, putting her own spin on everything from nursery rhymes to pop tunes. On the A&E's show Child Stars III: Teen Rockers, her mother claimed that JoJo had a borderline genius IQ. As a child, JoJo enjoyed attending Native American festivals and acted locally in professional theaters.

After auditioning for the television show Kids Say the Darndest Things: On the Road in Boston, JoJo was given a spot to perform on the show, singing Aretha Franklin's 1967 hit "Respect". Host Bill Cosby and the crowd at Faneuil Hall responded overwhelmingly to her performance. Soon after, The Oprah Winfrey Show contacted her, inviting her to perform. She also performed on Maury, on one of the frequent "kids-with-talent" episodes, as well as many others. Reminiscing, she has stated that "when it came to performing, I just had no fear".

Music career

JoJo's stage name comes from a childhood nickname. After appearing on talk shows and gospel festivals and competing on the television show, America's Most Talented Kids, record producer Vincent Herbert contacted her and asked her to audition for Blackground Records. During her audition for Barry Hankerson, Hankerson told her that the spirit of his niece, the late singer Aaliyah, had brought her to him. She was signed to the label, and had recording sessions with famed producers like The Underdogs and Soulshock Karin and Elizabeth Aparicio.

JoJo's live demo, Joanna Levesque, recorded in 2001, features covers of several well-known soul/R&B songs, including Wilson Pickett's 1966 "Mustang Sally", Etta James's 1989 "It Ain't Always What You Do (It's Who You Let See You Do It)", Aretha Franklin's 1968 "Chain of Fools" and 1969 "The House That Jack Built", The Moonglows' 1956 "See Saw", Stevie Wonder's 1972 "Superstition", and The Temptations' 1975 "Shakey Ground". The demo is sometimes available on Internet-auction eBay.

Acting career

After appearing on the television series The Bernie Mac Show and American Dreams, JoJo was cast opposite Emma Roberts and Sara Paxton in Aquamarine, playing Hailey, one of two teenage girls who discover a mermaid. The film opened on March 3, 2006 with mediocre success at the domestic box office, opening at number five with $7.5 million. Her next film, RV, a comedy starring Robin Williams, was released on April 28, 2006. It opened at number one and grossed $69.7 million. JoJo had to audition for the part five times, and eventually replaced an actress who had already been cast in the role.

JoJo had not had any professional acting training before being cast in the roles, but was given an acting coach on the set of Aquamarine. She will be billed as "Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque" in her film roles, but will still be credited as simply "JoJo" for her music work.

JoJo was offered the role of the title character of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, but turned it down because of her hectic schedule.

JoJo's music will remain her main focus, as she has stated that she prefers singing to acting.

On August 28th, 2007, in an interview with BOP and Tiger Beat online, JoJo stated that she is in the planning stages for a new movie project about which she could not reveal much. On September 10th, JoJo announced that she would be traveling to Toronto to film her next role in a small screen adaption of Lola Douglas' True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet, to be broadcast on Lifetime television. She also said that she wants to tour in Canada, Brazil and Egypt.

JoJo stated on her MySpace page that she would start filming a film called Confessions of a Teenage Starlet in October through the first week of November. She is currently filming the said film in the title True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet. She said that she was very excited to film this new movie because it is a different role for her and she was excited and anxious to see how it turns out. Since the success of RV (Runaway Vacation), apparently a script for a sequel titled Life In The RV which will probably follow their life on the road, is rumored to be planned for a 2008 release. It is not known if any of the original cast will return or if it is even planned.

Personal life

JoJo and her mother reside in New Jersey, and her recording studio is in Manhattan, New York City. JoJo also frequently visits Foxborough, Massachusetts, where she was raised and still has family. JoJo, who has been home schooled for the past three years, has stated that "school was definitely a big part of my life". She performs well academically, receiving marks in the As and Bs.

Rumours state that JoJo is now dating Joe Jonas from Jonas Brother; however Jonas went on KISSfm radio recently and announced that he is not dating or planning to date JoJo or his co-star Demi Lovato. He said that they are all just really good friends and it will stay this way, and that he doesn't plan to date yet because he is still on tour and will continue to be for the next year, so he doesn't have time.

On February 28, 2007, JoJo was ranked number ten in Forbes Young Hollywood Top-Earning Stars